IRAN

US President Donald Trump is considering the possibility of attacking positions of Russian and Iranian forces in Syria in the event of an attack by the Syrian army, according to the Wall Street Journal, citing anonymous public officials.

The newspaper sources reported that Syrian President Bashar Assad “approved the use of chlorine during the attack on the last major militant stronghold in the country” in Idlib province. Such an operation, for its part, could provoke an attack by American forces, the edition adds.

The US-led propaganda campaign against the Syrian-Iranian-Russian alliance has reached a new level as the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) is openly preparing to kick of a ground assault on terrorist groups in northwestern Syria.

During a September 7 UN Security Council briefing, US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley stated that

“when Russia and the Assad regime say they want to counter terrorism, they actually mean they want to bomb schools, hospitals, and homes. They want to punish the civilians who had the courage to rise up against Assad.” She further stated that “the Assad regime” must halt an offensive in Idlib because it will undermine “peace talks”.

“We consider any assault on Idlib to be a dangerous escalation of the conflict in Syria. If Assad, Russia, and Iran continue, the consequences will be dire,” Haley said.

Webmaster's Commentary:

Forgive me, Ambassador Haley; but is this not precisely what the US military is assisting the Saudis in doing in Yemen, in their war crimes against innocent Yemenis?!?

I do not blame the Syrian government for wanting to retake Idlib; these nonsensical statements of yours, are simply the premise for the US government's "justification" for fighting both Russian and Iranian military, which have been instrumental in beating the rebels back.

I would like to politely suggest that war against Russia and Iran in Syria may not be the highest or best use of American military resources in this case.

I frankly don't think the current administration can wait for October before going into Syria, with fighters and weapons blazing, because of a concern about a potential rout of Republicans in the coming midterms.

Is Trump ready to order U.S. action against Russian and Syrian forces if Assad gives his army the green light to take Idlib? For the bombing of Idlib has already begun.

What makes this more than an academic exercise is that Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, at a meeting in Tehran last Friday, told President Erdogan of Turkey that the reconquest of Idlib is going forward.

Erdogan fears that the Syrian army’s recapture of Idlib would send hundreds of thousands more refugees streaming to his border.

Turkey already hosts millions of refugees from Syria’s civil war.

Yet the massing of the Syrian army near Idlib and the Russian and Syrian bombing now begun suggest that the Assad-Putin-Rouhani coalition has decided to accept the risk of a clash with the Americans in order to bring an end to the rebellion. If so, this puts the ball in America’s court.

Webmaster's Commentary:

The short answer to the rhetorical question posed as the title of this article is, unfortunately, "HELL, yes!!"

On September 10, the Fars News Agency reported that the US sent two convoys consisting of ten trucks loaded with logistics and military equipment to the country's al-Susah base in the eastern part of Deir ez-Zor province, controlled by Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The media platform said, citing local sources that Washington had also sent another convoy consisting of 100 trucks loaded with military equipment from Iraq to unspecified Syrian territories controlled by the SDF, via the Simalka border crossing.

Task & Purpose previously reported that the US had sent over 100 US Marines to reinforce the military base in al-Tanf, Syria. Newly deployed forces will take part in live ammunition military drills, which are being conducted to demonstrate the "capability to deploy rapidly, assault a target and conduct rapid exfiltration," according to US Central Command (CENTCOM).

Webmaster's Commentary:

Looks as though the US war against both Russia and Syria is on; the only question is, how long past the false-flag chemical attack, which will probably be all over the presstitute corporate media in the next couple of days, will President Trump wait to give the command to attack.

Unfortunately, for this country, doing the most ham-fistedly, pig-headedly stupid thing it could do, is no guarantee that the US government won't do it; a US attack against Idlib, which most probably means a military confrontation with Russia, being my case in point here.

As US sanctions dig into the Iranian economy, with more on the way, Iran is compensating in a variety of novel ways, including a foreign investment fund that will give it access to technology that is becoming hard to come by.

On August 7, the US reimposed the first round of economic sanctions against Iran since it withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in May, a multinational agreement hammered out in 2015 to remove previous sanctions on the country in exchange for very strict limits on its nuclear program, designed to block Iranian access to a nuclear weapon.

While the US, claiming Iran had violated the agreement, unilaterally withdrew in May 2018, and US President Donald Trump promised to hammer out a new agreement, the rest of the JCPOA signatories — the UK, France, Germany, Russia and China — remain unconvinced and have shown increasing reluctance to follow the United States' demands that they divest from Iran and cease buying Iranian exports.

In response to US sanctions, Russia, Turkey and Iran are negotiating the reduction of the US dollar's share in mutual trade, Tehran Times daily quotes the country's central bank governor as saying.

Eliminating the greenback in mutual trade was most recently discussed by the three countries last weekend in Tehran during the trilateral summit of the Syrian ceasefire, said Iranian Central Bank Governor Abdolnaser Hemmati as quoted by the media.

“We have decided to proceed with further work in light of the agreements reached at a meeting with the Russian Central Bank governor in Moscow,” Hemmati was quoted as saying. According to Hemmati, the topics discussed also included oil and gas prices, expansion of banking ties and strengthening of economic relations.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and their delegations visited Tehran last week for a trilateral summit on Syria and also to discuss expansion of ties.

Iraq indicated that it has officially removed the US dollar in trade with Iran by announcing a legal limit for passengers to carry along Euros - instead of the customary US Dollars - into the Islamic Republic.

Iran’s media quoted a statement by Iraq’s Customs Authority as saying that passengers would be allowed to carry along €10,000 or an equal value of any other foreign currency other than the greenback into Iran.

The Customs Authority in its previous announcements only cited US Dollar ceilings.

Reports emerged in early September that Iraq and Iran had abandoned the greenback in their mutual trade, giving way to the Euro and local currencies, as well as direct barter of goods.

The trilateral summit in Tehran between the presidents of Turkey, Iran and Russia was one of the most unusual parades of international diplomacy yet. It was televised live. Let’s remember the scenes: All who watched it saw how Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan blundered and how Russian President Vladimir Putin ridiculed him. Then it was a rare — if not unique — case of international diplomacy where a trilateral partnership considered detrimental to the interests of the West displayed signs of failure on a burning international issue.

We are concerned that you may not have been adequately briefed on the upsurge of hostilities in northwestern Syria, where Syrian armed forces with Russian support have launched a full-out campaign to take back the al-Nusra/al-Qaeda/ISIS-infested province of Idlib. The Syrians will almost certainly succeed, as they did in late 2016 in Aleppo. As in Aleppo, it will mean unspeakable carnage, unless someone finally tells the insurgents theirs is a lost cause.

1. The US Iran policy aims at nothing but conflict-building followed by economic, political and military violence

From all the remarks made by President Donald Trump and his senior officials, it is clear that the United States is trying to manufacture another regime change in the Middle East, this time in Iran.

It does so by making use of the tried and tested tactic of demonising Iranian rulers and the Iranian people and by finding false pretences and pretexts for implementing their destructive goals.

We have already had an inkling of these tactics by Trump’s withdrawal from the nuclear deal and his allegation that Iran has not been abiding by the terms of that deal, despite clear evidence of Iranian compliance provided by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which is in charge of inspecting and certifying Iran’s compliance.

Webmaster's Commentary:

I would suspect, after issuing the entire world a "drop dead date" edict regarding its purchasing oil from Iran, President Trump and the administration have something militarily spectacular planned for that date or thereabout concerning Iran, and that date happens to be Sunday, 4 November; two days away from midterm elections in the US.

The reason given for the dramatic change in policy was the administration’s recent decision to “redefine” its goals in the Syrian conflict, resulting in the emergence of “the exit of all Iranian military and proxy forces from Syria” as the administration’s top priority, effectively overshadowing the U.S.’ long-stated goal of rooting out terror groups like Daesh (ISIS). The shift is part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to target Iranian influence in the region while simultaneously attempting to provoke regime change in Iran through the use of aggressive sanctions and other covert means.

Webmaster's Commentary:

The explosive issue which both Pompeo and Bolton seem to want to ignore here is the following: IF the US maintains its illegally captured space in Syria, and starts attacking Syrian, Iranian, or Russian troops in Syria (remember: the Russians and Iranians were INVITED by the Syrian government, but the US military was NOT), how long before US troops wind up in a shooting war against Russian, Iranian, and Syrian forces?!?

Logic tells me, not too long at all.

So if this "faux" chemical weapons attack happens, I have to wonder just how long it will be before the US declares war on Russia, Syria, and Iran?!?

Logic tells me, not long at all; the US and its allies cannot wait for logic-centric Americans ask themselves the question; why would al-Assad use chemical poisoning against his own people, when he as almost completely gutted the country of US-backed rebels?!? The short, logical answer is, he would not.

For all those who read this blog, who have family in the US military, this question is far from academic.

This month, the US Navy is conducting exercises it claims will guarantee freedom of movement through Persian Gulf and Red Sea waterways, as Iran threatens to obstruct shopping through key maritime positions.

US 5th Fleet Theater Counter Mine and Maritime Security Exercise Commander Scott A. Stearney recently told reporters in Manama that the exercises, which involve both regional and global allies, "illustrate that the US and our partners stand ready to ensure the freedom of navigation and free flow of commerce wherever international law allows," Bloomberg reported Sunday.

One of the US Navy exercises is occurring in Djibouti, a known choke point for global shipping at the southern end of the Red Sea.

In early July, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) held large-scale military drills in the Persian Gulf. The IRGC said at the time that they were ready to disrupt other countries' oil shipments through the strait if Iran's own exports were impeded.

Webmaster's Commentary:

This is nothing more, or less, than a blatant, "in your face" provocation against the Iranian government, which I hope will have the horse-sense not to respond in kind.

At the request of Damascus, Russia assisted Syrian forces in launching several airstrikes across the territory in the northern Al-Ghab plain starting Saturday morning and continuing through Sunday afternoon.

The Syrian Army successfully destroyed an ammunition depot and armored vehicle belonging to the Al-Ezza brigades in the Kafr Zita countryside as they struck various hideouts and locations of Jabhat al-Nusra and their allies Sunday. According to Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), a state media news agency, the army unit also successfully destroyed shelling launching pads belonging to the brigade, where terrorists would launch shells towards residential areas.

Webmaster's Commentary:

That false flag chemical attack, to be blamed on Syria, is most likely coming, and soon, because the rebels are doing so poorly in holding their ground in Idlib that they cannot get a foothold against Syrian and Russian troops and airstrikes.

The chemical attack, prophesied at the UN by our "Miss Cleo Wannabe", US Representative Nikki Haley, will most likely happen this week.

Russia has already stated, through diplomatic channels, that it intends to hold exercises and attacks very close to where US troops are stationed (illegally) in Syria.

Let me say this again; the US government and military have invaded a sovereign country, which did not ask them to assist in fighting the rebels, (they asked for Russian and Iranian assistance for this), and is looking to establish a "foothold" in the country from which they can plot regime change in Damascus, and control Syria's oil.

The big question is, how long before Russia and the US wind up in direct, hot conflict in Syria?!?

I don't know what the odds the bookies in Vegas are giving on the such a confrontation; my gut is telling me, however, this will be happening very soon.

The Trump Whitehouse wants this country in a major war against....some major alleged "enemy" recently well-demonized in what passes for American "journalism", and Russia will do nicely here, well before the mid-terms.

The American Electorate are very skittish about changing the nature and composition of their government mid war.

And please remember the "drop dead date" by which President Trump has declared to the world that it can no longer buy Iranian oil; Sunday, 4 November, two days before the mid-term elections in this country. I would expect something very dramatic from the Trump Administration against Iran on, or right near, that deadline, and the date of these primaries.

This month, the US Navy is conducting exercises it claims will guarantee freedom of movement through Persian Gulf and Red Sea waterways, as Iran threatens to obstruct shopping through key maritime positions.

US 5th Fleet Theater Counter Mine and Maritime Security Exercise Commander Scott A. Stearney recently told reporters in Manama that the exercises, which involve both regional and global allies, "illustrate that the US and our partners stand ready to ensure the freedom of navigation and free flow of commerce wherever international law allows," Bloomberg reported Sunday.

According to Stearney, US allies need to be ready to "address anything that threatens our interest or our [US] ships," adding that Iran's activities in the Persian Gulf and Red Sea areas are "promoting instability."

Webmaster's Commentary:

Interesting. The US has their ships halfway around the world sailing just off of other nations' borders, and Iran is supposedly creating instability in the region!

At this point there's not even so much as feigning surprise or suspense in the now sadly all-too-familiar Syria script out of Washington.

The Wall Street Journal has just published a bombshell on Sunday evening as Russian and Syrian warplanes continue bombing raids over al-Qaeda held Idlib, citing unnamed US officials who claim "President Bashar al-Assad of Syria has approved the use of chlorine gas in an offensive against the country’s last major rebel stronghold."

And perhaps more alarming is that the report details that Trump is undecided over whether new retaliatory strikes could entail expanding the attack to hit Assad allies Russia and Iran this time around.

The US favorite candidate for the prime ministership Haidar Abadi lost his last chance to renew his mandate for a second term when riots caused arson around the southern city of Basra and burned down the walls of the Iranian consulate in the city. While the inhabitants demonstrated for their justified demands (fresh water, electricity, job opportunities, and infrastructure), sponsored groups with different agendas mixed with the crowds and managed to burn down offices, ambulances, a government building and school associated with al-Hashd al-Shaabi and other anti-US political groups. This mob behavior forced Sayyed Moqtada al-Sadr, leader of 54 MPs, to drop his political partner Abadi and to put an end to his political carrier. Moqtada sought to distance himself from the events in Basra in order to let the blame fall on Abadi alone. He has joined the side of the winning horse, that of Iran.

American warplanes reportedly drop phosphorous bombs on a village in the eastern Syria province of Dayr al-Zawr.

Vladimir Savchenko, the chief of the Russian Center for Reconciliation of the Opposing Parties in Syria, announced the development on Sunday, Russia’s ITAR-TASS news agency reported.

"On September 8, 2018, two F-15 warplanes of the US air force delivered airstrikes on the settlement of Hajin with the use of phosphorous bombs. The airstrikes caused heavy fires. Information about casualties and damages is being verified," he said.

“The Russian reconciliations center warned that the use of munitions containing yellow phosphorus is prohibited by an additional protocol to the Geneva Convention of 1949,” the agency added.

Webmaster's Commentary:

IF, in fact, these Russian reports are true, (and I find it hard to disbelieve something which can be proven so easily thorough this bomb's chemical signature) welcome to "the new normal", as a citizen of the Assassination Nation, the Unhinged, Surveilled State of Amerika.

Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Yukiya Amano says Iran is living up to all its commitments under the 2015 nuclear deal.

"Iran is implementing its nuclear-related commitments under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (the nuclear agreement known as the JCPOA)," Amano said in his introductory statement to the IAEA's Board of Governors in Vienna on Monday, emphasizing that it was essential that Iran continued to fully implement those commitments.

President of the United States Donald Trump withdrew Washington in May from the landmark Iran nuclear agreement, reached between Iran and the P5+1 group of countries in 2015, and decided to re-impose unilateral sanctions against Tehran.

Under the deal, Iran undertook to put limits on its nuclear program in exchange for the removal of nuclear-related sanctions.

Webmaster's Commentary:

And yet, even though Amano has made this statement publicly, what do we have in the American press?!?

Yet more demonization of Iran, even though the IAEA has publicly stated that, even though President Trump has withdrawn the US from the deal, that Iran is still complying!!

The third summit of the leaders of Russia, Iran and Turkey was the crisis in Syria's Idlib Province. The participants of the summit agreed that one needs to disarm terrorists and exclude a possibility for a humanitarian disaster in the country. "We hope that representatives of terrorist organisations will have enough common sense to stop resistance and lay down their arms," Russian President Vladimir Putin said on September 7 in Tehran at the summit of the "troika" of guarantors of an armistice between government troops and moderate armed opposition in Syria. The de-escalation zone in Idlib, as well as parts of territories of neighbouring provinces of Ham and Latakia, is one of four de-escalation zones that the "troika" established in Syria in 2017. Idlib is the last deescalation zone that still remains under the control of terrorists and militants of moderate opposition...

"Trump is maintaining an indefinite U.S. military presence in (i.e., occupation of) Syria, strengthening a policy of bipartisan imperialism, in an attempt to weaken the Iranian and Syrian governments."

If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. The American Empire doesn’t handle failure well, and their repeated failures to oust Syrian president Bashar al-Assad have driven them into a frenzy where good judgment and logic are a thing of the past. Russian military intelligence predicts a false-flag chemical attack in Idlib which will be pinned on the Assad regime and used to justify “retaliation” orders of magnitude greater than April’s Tomahawk tantrum. This time, if the words of the Wicked Witch of the UN are any indication, Iran and Russia will also be blamed. While the US has mostly abandoned hope for regime change in Syria, it will not look a gift horse in the mouth, and is gathering aircraft carriers and bombers to the region while pumping out tear-jerking propaganda about Idlib residents fearing for their lives. If the false flag fails, they can always send those bombers to Iran...

Governor of the Central Bank of Iran Abdolreza Hemmati announced that Tehran, Moscow and Ankara have agreed to remove the US dollar from their transactions as part of efforts to broaden their trade relations to overcome Washington's mounting pressures.

"The agreement was made on the sidelines of a key trilateral summit on Syria held in Tehran on Friday and attended by Iranian, Russian and Turkish presidents," Hemmati said.

He underlined that during the Friday summit, "I along with Iranian oil minister (Bijan Zangeneh) held beneficial and constructive meetings with the economic officials of Russia and Turkey with the three presidents" in attendance.

Hemmati reiterated that the main topics discussed during the meetings included oil and gas prices, basic commodities sales, expansion of banking ties, conducting financial transactions by the countries’ national currencies instead of the US dollar and deepening of bilateral economic relations.

Just when the world may have thought stability could be returning to Syria after rapid Syrian Army and Russian advances over the summer, it appears we are once again on the path of an eventual major showdown between US forces and Iran inside Syria.

Washington defense officials are pointing to ways that Iran continues to "defiantly" spread its military clout beyond its borders even as its economy is in a tailspin and under possibly the most aggresive sanctions regimen in history.

A new Wall Street Journal report outlines what could be the start of a dramatic White House pivot towards escalation against Iranian and pro-Tehran forces in Syria like Hezbollah. This follows the Washington Post dropping an exclusive bombshell Thursday night based on top White House policy planning sources that President Trump has approved a plan for complete 180 policy shift in the region involving "an indefinite military and diplomatic effort in Syria".

Emergency in Baghdad, curfew in Basra following burning of Iranian consulate

Basra, southeast of Baghdad, Iraq. (Supplied)
Staff writer, Al Arabiya EnglishFriday, 7 September 2018
The Iraqi government has declared a state of maximum emergency in Baghdad and curfew in Basra. Al-Arabiya correspondent reported late on Friday that a large special force entered Basra to impose security in the city, after a day of protests and destruction till late evening, as angry demonstrators stormed and burned down the Iranian consulate.

There were reports of demonstrators heading towards the presidential palaces in Basra.

Demonstrators set fire to a number of government buildings and party headquarters on Thursday night.

The governor’s residence, the headquarters of political parties and armed groups were set ablaze, AFP correspondents reported.

While Syria seemed to have dropped from the Western media's radar over the past months as the Syrian Army and its Russian and Iranian allies made rapid gains, multiple huge developments this week have returned the war to center stage in Washington and the dangerous rhetoric of escalation.

In just the last 24 hours alone, we've learned:

Trump has reportedly done a 180 shift, departing from his prior statements of "bring our troops home" made only months ago, and has approved "an indefinite military and diplomatic effort in Syria" according to a bombshell Washington Post report.

Russia has put the US military on notice, telling American commanders that Russian and Syrian forces are prepared to attack At Tanf — a key US garrison along the Syrian-Iraq border.

A top US Syria policy representative says there's “lots of evidence” chemical weapons are being prepared by the Syrian Army for use in its impending Idlib ground assault.

Webmaster's Commentary:

The bovine excrement is being flung explosively, in advance of the US government preparing for an attack against Syria.

I firmly believe that this has to happen very soon, to prevent people from even beginning to think critically about why Bashar Al Assad would use such weapons against his own people, when his, the Russian, and Iranian troops are just on the keening edge of recapturing Idlib from the rebels.

Such a move would make absolutely zero logical sense, which is why, if something like this happens, it is a US/Israeli-generated false flag with which to "justify" and American attack against Syria.

update: Stunning footage has emerged of the Iranian consulate in Basra, Iraq burning after a mob of anti-Iran protesters stormed it near dusk on Friday.

The flames appear multiple stories high and several explosions can be observed amidst the massive blaze.

On Thursday evening Iran's consulate in Basra was placed under siege by a throng of demonstrators after a 24-hour period in which a dozen local Shia militia HQ offices and buildings were torched across the city. Mass protests and riots have grown in the city since Monday.

The same night in Baghdad, regional sources indicate at least three mortars targeted the US embassy in Baghdad's protected 'green zone' landing near the gate but not causing significant damage. The events were part of a worsening sectarian crisis across the country in which pro-Iran Shia forces have vowed to expel "foreign occupying forces" — however in the Sunni-majority southern city of Basra, Sunni groups have been engaged in mob reprisal attacks.

Webmaster's Commentary:

This tragedy should, ultimately, be laid squarely at the foot of the Bush Administration, as a result of the invasion and occupation of Iraq.

Its de-Baathification of the country, coupled with the complete sacking of Iraq's military, led to the horrors of the instability which still haunt this country and its divided religious leadership, so many years after the initial invasion and occupation.

For the first time ever, U.S. Marine Corps F-35Bs Joint Strike Fighters are on an operational deployment in the Gulf of Aden, bringing them the closest they've ever been to conflict zones in Iraq and Syria, Yemen, and Somalia. The stealthy jets and their pilots set to join thousands of other U.S. Navy sailors and Marines for a two-week training exercise while they're in the region, but there's still no indication they are headed for actual combat, at least not yet.

Webmaster's Commentary:

I love that last sentence.

Translation; these US troops are being pre-positioned for potential strikes against Yemen, Syria, and Iraq.

A great deal can happen in two weeks; unfortunately, the White House has made a declaration that US troops will be on Syrian soil "indefinitely.

Three years ago, it looked like Sheldon Adelson was going to support Senator Marco Rubio for president, and Donald Trump tweeted a lethal assessment:

Sheldon Adelson is looking to give big dollars to Rubio because he feels he can mold him into his perfect little puppet. I agree!

After that, of course, Trump blew Rubio away, and it was Trump who got $35 million from Adelson in the presidential race. The relationship hums along. Lately Adelson and his wife Miriam gave $55 million to Trump’s firewall against impeachment, Republican congressional campaigns.

And Trump’s shrewd assessment could not be more accurate. He is Adelson’s perfect little puppet.

Webmaster's Commentary:

That last big lie by Adelson, is a vast whopper.

Sorry, Sheldon,bubbie; the coinage tells the story here, far more persuasively and eloquently than I ever can:

While most of the Syrian War is centered at this point around the Idlib Province, the last major rebel bastion, there is also interest in mopping up some of the smaller rebel positions along the Jordan border, especially where ISIS and al-Qaeda are concerned.

This is a raising a dangerous risk of a confrontation between the US and Russia, because Russia and Syria are very keen to chase some of the Islamists off the border in the near future, and Russia has informed them some of these Islamists are relatively close to US military positions in the area.

The US has long been fine with Islamists on the Jordan border, and is warning Russia against taking any action against them, saying the US would view it as a “challenge” and that they would not hesitate to respond militarily if there is any move into the area.

Webmaster's Commentary:

I would love to see both some sanity and some clarity in the US government's position on Syria; unfortunately, what I see unfolding here, is the prelude to an all-out war between Russia, Syria, and Iranians in Syria against the US, and potentially inviting the curse of another world war.

Just because something would be the most pig-headedly, ham-fistedly stupid thing for the US Government to do, is absolutely and utterly no guarantee that it will not do it.

Driving the extremists out of Syria’s Idlib province should be the primary goal at this stage of the Syrian peace process, Russian President Vladimir Putin said following a meeting with his Turkish and Iranian counterparts.
The Russian leader once again said that Moscow has “irrefutable” evidence that terrorist groups entrenched in the militant-controlled province are seeking to stage false flag attacks using chemical weapons.

“Our common absolute priority lies in the total elimination of terrorists in Syria,” Putin said, adding that Russian forces had recently helped to liberate the southwestern part of the war-torn country and confirming that Idlib province has become the primary target now. “The presence [of militants] poses a direct threat to the … civilians in the whole region,” the president warned.

Webmaster's Commentary:

The big problem here, is that the US government won't let this happen as naturally and gracefully as it should, as President Trump has made the statement that the US military is going to be in Syria...indefinitely:

IF, in fact, these reports are true, one has to wonder just how soon the US, Russia, Syria, and Iran, will be drawn into a nasty military confrontation here in Syria; I don't know what kinds of odds Vegas bookies are putting on this happening, but my sense is soon, and most probably right before the midterms, in order to "energize President Trump's base about going to the polls and voting the Republicans back into control of the government.

Protesters have stormed and set fire to the Iranian consulate in the Iraqi oil-hub city of Basra, according to reports that cite local security sources. Protests in Basra have been ongoing since the start of the week.

Violent protests in Basra have been ongoing since Monday. The rioters are angry over poor public services, including the lack of potable water. They have been attacking government buildings, as well as the headquarters of political parties with links to Iran.

Senior Cleric: US Not Trustworthy for TalksTEHRAN (FNA)- Tehran's provisional Friday Prayers Leader Ayatollah Mohammad Emami Kashani said that Iran cannot trust Washington to sit to the negotiating table again after US President Donald Trump discarded the internationally-endorsed 2015 nuclear deal.

Addressing a large and fervent congregation of the people in Tehran on Friday, Ayatollah Emami Kashani said, "They will wait in their plot the same way they have failed to earn anything in the past 40 years; I hope Mr. (Donald) Trump and (Benjamin) Netanyahu would take this dream to grave soon."

The senior cleric pointed to the recent remarks by Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei on enemy's psychological war against Iran, and said, "The enemy's psychological war is aimed at creating tensions for our people and they want to separate the people from the ruling system."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that Israel will act harshly against attempts by other Middle Eastern countries to obtain precision weapons.

"We are determined to prevent Iran and its proxies from establishing a military presence in Syria," he said at the start of Israel's weekly cabinet meeting, according to a statement released on his behalf.

"We are taking strong actions against these attempts and against the attempts to produce precision weaponry in all sectors, near and far," he added without elaborating.

Iran has censured US President Donald Trump’s latest decision to chair a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) meeting against the Islamic Republic, saying such a meeting is meant to divert the world’s attention from American and Israeli violations of international law and the very same Council’s resolutions.

In a press release published on Wednesday, the Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the UN accused the US of trying to impose its unilateral decisions on the UNSC during its presidency of the chamber this month.

As the Syrian government and its allies prepare to begin a military offensive against the last rebel-held province in the country, top U.S. government officials and even U.S. President Donald Trump have recently urged Syria to refrain from “recklessly” attacking the Idlib province, warning that it could result in a high civilian death toll. These recent statements of U.S. government officials have sought to portray Idlib as chiefly populated by civilians and benign opposition “rebels.”

Yet, just last year, one of the U.S. government’s top counterterrorism officials involved in the country’s Syria and Iraq policy stated on video that, in contrast to current government statements, Idlib is dominated by none other than the Al Qaeda terrorist group and that the province should be a major focus of U.S. counterterrorism policy given the threat that Idlib represents to global efforts to fight terrorism.

Webmaster's Commentary:

Translation: the US government doesn't want the combined forces of Russia, Syria, and Iran, to gut Idlib of terrorists, because it is the US government which is funding, arming, and supporting those terrorists as a "base" from which the US can reach out, and destroy more of Syria, even when time and logic have proved this a thankless task in all the years in which Syria has been at war, a war essentially designed and operated by US-funded interests.

The way the term "chemical attack" is being bandied about by our UN Ambassador, Nikki Haley, is a clear telegraphing of what US interests, most probably the White Helmets, and their ilk are going to do so, by creating such a false image of a chemical attack, most probably against children, staged as the "justification" for US troops going into Syria to attack it.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif rapped US President Donald Trump for attempting to turn the upcoming UN Security Council session during the General Assembly conference into an anti-Iran meeting.
Zarif wrote on his twitter page on Wednesday that Trump is seeking to “abuse” the presidency of the Security Council to divert a session, which has been devoted to Palestine for decades, in a bid to "blame Iran for horrors the United States and its clients have unleashed across the Middle East".

He added that the US had already violated the only UNSC resolution on Iran, referring to Resolution 2231 that endorses the 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and six world powers-- the US, the UK, France, China, Russia and Germany.

US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley, who assumed the Presidency of the Security Council for the month of September, said Tuesday that Trump was going to chair a meeting of the 15-nation body on Iran on September 26, where he would discuss what she called as Iran's “violations of international law”.

“The world is watching.” That’s the message the Trump administration wants to highlight by convening a U.N. Security Council meeting this month “to address Iran’s violations of international law and the general instability Iran sows throughout the entire Middle East region,” U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley said Tuesday.

In strike that RT reports killed 2 people and wounded at least 5, state news agency says air defenses 'downed a number of rockets fired by the Israeli enemy', claiming Iranian targets were the objective; report comes shortly after Israeli military official claims IDF attacked approximately 200 targets in Syria over the last year-and-a-half.

President Donald Trump needs to take a side seat when it comes to Syria, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said.

“Mr. Trump needs to stand aside and allow those who battled terrorism in Syria to do their work,” Zarif told reporters according to state-run Mehr news agency. “The U.S. doesn’t have a good track record confronting radicalism and terrorism.”

Russia has moved 25 warships to the Syrian coast, apparently in support of the Syrian offensive against Idlib, the last rebel held province. The naval force includes submarines, destroyers, frigates, smaller warships an several support ships. This is the largest number of warships Russia has ever deployed to the Syrian coast and this is officially an effort to deter the U.S. Navy from attacking the Syrian forces (which the U.S. said it would do if the Syrians used chemical weapons in Idlib). Russia has also moved more warplanes to Syria and has some heavy bombers ready to fly from southern Russia to launch cruise missiles at targets in Idlib.

We previously detailed how after seven years of a the failed attempt at regime change in Syria, the next target is Hezbollah, itself a key player throughout the war in successfully defending Damascus.

Part of these efforts of the Western-Gulf military alliance will be to wage a powerful propaganda war, which appears to have already begun in earnest.

This week Israeli, Saudi, and US media sources have released multiple reports claiming Iran is now routinely smuggling weapons and missile manufacturing equiment into Lebanon through the use of civilian aircraft, in order to provide a steady resupply stream to Hezbollah.

The reports rely heavily on unnamed Western intelligence officials, who say that at least two recent flights have taken off between Tehran and Beirut that were observed "flying unusual routes".

Two weeks after China - the top importer of Iranian crude oil - defied the White House, disclosing that it would continue importing Iranian oil ignoring US sanctions on Tehran, India, the second biggest buyer of Iranian oil exports, has given permission to its state refiners to import Iranian oil using a similar scheme as China in which Tehran would arrange tankers and insurance after firms including the country’s top shipper Shipping Corp of India halted voyages to Iran due to U.S. sanctions.

The US ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, has announced that President Donald Trump is set to host a Security Council meeting to discuss Iran when he attends the General Assembly in New York later this month.

The US has only just assumed the rotating presidency over the UN Security Council, held by each of the members in turn for a month, and seems to be eager to make the most of it. Trump, who will attend the customary gathering of the world leaders at the UN General Assembly, “intends to chair a meeting at the Security Council and the topic will be on Iran,” Haley told reporters on Tuesday.

A Reuters report claiming a small number of Iranian missiles have been sent to Iraq was denied by both Iranian and Iraqi officials as false, but that may not stop Israeli officials from carrying out attacks over that claim.

Israeli officials are signaling that they are prepared to attack Iraq over the alleged sites, with Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman saying Israel is “not limiting ourselves just to Syrian territory” with its attacks.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has blasted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after he threatened Iran with “atomic destruction.” peaking during a ceremony at the Dimona nuclear arms facility in the Negev desert on Wednesday, Netanyahu said “whoever tries to hurt us – we hurt them”. “Iran, a country without nuclear weapons, is threatened with atomic annihilation by a warmonger standing next to an actual nuclear weapons factory,” tweeted the top Iranian diplomat.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu takes every opportunity possible to boast that his country has reached an advanced stage of normalised relations with major Arab countries, in a clear reference to Saudi Arabia. Sources close to Netanyahu note that observers have only seen the tip of the iceberg, indicating the depth of the bilateral relations between Tel Aviv and Riyadh.

It is worth noting that Riyadh does not deny Israel’s confirmations of normalised relations with Saudi Arabia. Relations with Israel do not express a clear-cut Saudi strategy with clearly defined goals as much as it expresses the lack of foreign policy options. This means that the Saudi-Israeli rapprochement reflects Riyadh’s need for an ally with the weight and influence of Tel Aviv at a time when Saudi Arabia is sustaining successive defeats in the region. It is also unable to rein Iran in and limit the spread of its influence and power at the expense of the region in general.

Iran has vehemently rejected as "false, meaningless and ludicrous" a recent media report claiming that Tehran has moved missiles to Iraq, saying it aimed to stoke Iranophobia in the region.

"What has been raised and published by some infamous cells and certain media about the transfer of Iranian missiles to Iraq is a nonsensical statement and sheer lie," Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi said on Saturday.

"The report is solely aimed at creating fears among regional countries" and is in line with Iranophobic policies, he added.

The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) has repelled an attack by the Lions of the East Army militant group on the ancient city of Palmyra from the direction of the US-occupied area of al-Tanf, the Russian Centre for the Reconciliation of Opposing Sides in Syria said on September 1. According to the Center, two militants were killed and two others were detained.

“The militants’ objective was to conduct a series of terrorist attacks in the vicinity of the city of Palmyra and to ensure the passage of the main forces of about 300 militants to capture the city within the next week,” the Center said.

On September 2, pro-US sources claimed that US-backed forces had repelled an SAA attack on al-Tanf. However, no further details were provided.

The US dollar is no longer used by Tehran and Baghdad in bilateral trade, giving way to the euro and local currencies, as well as direct barter of goods, head of the Iran-Iraq Chamber of Commerce Yahya Ale-Eshagh has revealed.

“[The] US dollar has been removed from the list of currencies used by Iran and Iraq in their trade transactions and they are using Iranian rial, euro and Iraqi dinar for financial transactions,” Ale-Eshagh said on Saturday, as quoted by local media.

In what is sure to be a realization of one of Netanyahu's worst nightmares, and deeply awkward for US advisers to Baghdad, Iran has transferred ballistic missiles to Shia proxy forces in Iraq, according to Western and Iraqi intelligence sources cited in a new Reuters report.

The revelation comes as tensions between Washington and Tehran are already at their highest point in years as aggressive sanctions continue crippling Iran's economy, and after threats and counter-threats over Tehran laying claim to the vital Strait of Hormuz oil waterway over the past weeks, through which some one-third of the world's oil passes.

The Reuters report cites multiple officials and intelligence sources, including Iranian officials who seem willing to inform the world of the provocative move:

The Russian Aerospace Forces were redirected from Iraq’s airspace on Friday and forced to reroute over Iran, air traffic observers reported this afternoon.

According to the reports, a Russian Tu-154M was traveling from Moscow to the Syrian coastal province of Latakia, when the Iraqi government made the decision to block the warplane’s flight over their airspace.

No reason was cited by the Iraqi Ministry of Defense for blocking this Russian warplane.

Israel will oppose Iranian presence in Syria with the same zeal it worked to destroy the nuclear deal, and hurt “whoever tries to hurt us,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said as he dedicated a nuclear reactor facility.

The Middle East is “no place for the weak. The weak crumble, are slaughtered and are erased from history while the strong, for good or for ill, survive,” Netanyahu said on Wednesday, at the ceremony to rename a nuclear research facility in the Negev after the former Prime Minister Shimon Peres. “The strong are respected, and alliances are made with the strong, and in the end peace is made with the strong.”

“But our enemies know very well what Israel is capable of doing. They are familiar with our policy. Whoever tries to hurt us – we hurt them,” he added.

Standing next to a secretive Israeli atomic reactor earlier in the week, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened to “wipe out” his enemies. In a speech that many will see as the Jewish state breaking its long silence over the possession of nuclear weapons, the Likud leader warned that it has the means to destroy its enemies.

“Those who threaten to wipe us out put themselves in a similar danger, and in any event will not achieve their goal,” he said on Wednesday during a ceremony to rename the complex, near the desert town of Dimona. The site has long been suspected to be the location where Israel has been developing nuclear weapons.

Iran hit back by describing Netanyahu as a “warmonger”. The threat “atomic annihilation” against the Islamic Republic was denounced as “beyond shameless in the gall”.

In a confidential report seen by The Associated Press, the International Atomic Energy Agency said Iran has stayed with key limitations set in the so-called Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA.

The report says the agency had access to all sites in Iran that it needed to visit and that inspectors confirmed Iran has kept within limits of heavy water and low-enriched uranium stockpiles.

France has told its diplomats and Foreign Ministry officials to postpone indefinitely all non-essential travel to Iran. An internal memo seen by Reuters cited a foiled plot to bomb a rally held by an exiled Iranian opposition group near Paris, which was also attended by Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani, as the reason. The document also describes a hardening of Tehran’s attitude towards France. Paris has been one of the strongest advocates of salvaging a 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers, which US President Donald Trump pulled out of in May.

The Iranian navy are “vigilantly controlling” the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz and there is no need for the naval presence of “alien” countries, Tehran’s new naval chief has declared.

“We can ensure the security of the Persian Gulf and there is no need for the presence of aliens like the US and the countries whose home is not in here,” Rear Admiral Alireza Tangsiri, head of the naval branch of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), said on Monday, according to the Tasnim news agency.

Having “outsiders” operate nuclear-powered ships in the Gulf creates potential environmental problems not just for Iran but its Arab neighbors as well, Tangsiri said. He also accused Iran’s enemies of misrepresenting reality “in order to deploy forces to the region and sell their weapons.”

FRN has been made aware that Iranian Revolutionary Guards Chief, Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari, just hours ago declared that Iran has fully liberated the Gulf and Strait of Hormuz from foreign and hostile subjugation. Iran had been conducting ‘drills’ in the area, beginning in mid-June, and supported by the Chinese Navy, when the drill went ‘live’.

This was a confirmation of the statement by Alireza Tangsiri, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard’s navy chief, saying the same. Iran has confirmed that any number of friendly and neutral states will continue to have full commercial access to the strategic water-way. China has confirmed its support for today’s major move on the part of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The United States told UN judges on Tuesday they had no jurisdiction to rule on Tehran’s demand for them to order the suspension of nuclear-related sanctions against Iran. Tehran has argued that US President Donald Trump breached a 1955 treaty with his decision to re-impose the sanctions after withdrawing from a multilateral nuclear deal. US State Department lawyer Jennifer Newstead told the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague that it “lacks prima facie jurisdiction to hear Iran’s claims.” She argued that the US has the right to protect its national security and other interests, AFP reports. The treaty “cannot therefore provide a basis for this court’s jurisdiction” in the case, she added. In the first day of hearings at the ICJ on Monday, Iran’s lawyers said the sanctions were threatening the welfare of its citizens and disrupting tens of billions of dollars’ worth of business deals.

Google claims 39 YouTube channels were connected to Iran and part of a covert Iranian-backed operation to spread propaganda to U.S. viewers and 49 were part of a Russian-backed operation to spread disinfo, PC MAG reported.

According to PC MAG, the propaganda campaign disguised itself by pretending to be several independent media websites, one of which was called the Liberty Front Press.

Further digging shows the cybersecurity firm FireEye investigated the media group and alleges uncovered evidence that it actually originates from Iran.

FRN has been made aware that Iranian Revolutionary Guards Chief, Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari, just hours ago declared that Iran has fully liberated the Gulf and Strait of Hormuz from foreign and hostile subjugation. Iran had been conducting ‘drills’ in the area, beginning in mid-June, and supported by the Chinese Navy, when the drill went ‘live’.

This was a confirmation of the statement by Alireza Tangsiri, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard’s navy chief, saying the same. Iran has confirmed that any number of friendly and neutral states will continue to have full commercial access to the strategic water-way. China has confirmed its support for today’s major move on the part of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Are the U.S. France and Britain preparing to launch punitive airstrikes against Syria in reprisal for another (forthcoming) “false flag” Chemical Weapons attack allegedly ordered by president Bashar al Assad against his own people.

U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton is reported to have told his Russian counterpart, Nikolai Patrushev, that “Syrian President Bashar al-Assad may be preparing to use chemical weapons to recapture the northwestern province of Idlib from rebels.”

On August 22, at a press conference in Jerusalem, John Bolton, Trump’s (“Humanitarian”) National Security Adviser expressed his “concern” intimating that Assad is preparing to “kill his own people”:

“We are obviously concerned about the possibility that Assad may use chemical weapons again, …

Webmaster's Commentary:

The tired old premise Bolton is "trotting out" to his Russian counterpart, Nikolai Patrushev, has one absolutely fatal flaw; there is absolutely no logical reason for Al Assad to do this, now that he, with Russian and Iranian help, have pretty much taken the country back under Damascus' control.

So here is the translation, and please note that it it is primarily for US domestic consumption, because the Iranians, Syrians, and Russians know better: we are being "set up" for a US/NATO false flag in Syria, as the justification for creating a "no fly zone" against the country, if not bombing the hell out of it outright.

The question here for me, is what will Russia do when this happens?!?

IS this the way the US is going to "justify" a war against Russia in Syria?!?

Were I a betting person, I would bet that this will be in place for executing next month, possibly right after the Labor Day holiday here in the US.

President Trump is desperate for something to distract the American people from the events of last week, in terms of the Manafort convictions and the Cohen plea deal, and my guess is, that it will either be military action against Syria, or against Iran, both "favorite enemies" of this administration.

In the aftermath of a report that Germany was working on a global payment system that is independent of the US and SWIFT, on Monday Germany and France said they’re working on financing solutions to sidestep U.S. sanctions against countries such as Iran, including a possible role for central banks, Bloomberg reported.

"With Germany, we are determined to work on an independent European or Franco-German financing tool which would allow us to avoid being the collateral victims of U.S. extra-territorial sanctions," French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said Monday during a meeting with press association AJEF. “I want Europe to be a sovereign continent not a vassal, and that means having totally independent financing instruments that do not today exist.”

The discussions, which also involve the U.K., are a signal that European powers are trying to get serious about demonstrating a greater level of independence from the U.S. as President Donald Trump pursues his “America First” agenda.

Webmaster's Commentary:

Whatever the intent of President Trump's sanctions, the cold, hard reality is that they are uniting Europe and Iran against the US, and these countries are looking to trade without using either the SWIFT global payment system, or the US dollar.

Mr. President, I know you are trying to satiate the desires/demands of Sheldon Adelson, your richest American/Zionist backer, who has, apparently purchased your Presidency, and those of one of your BFFs in the Middle East, Israel's Prime Minister Netanyahu; but sir, it is painfully clear, and brutally apparent to me, that we are headed to a war against Iran, with Russia and China lined up on Iran's side, and the US, Israel, Saudi Arabia, and NATO on the other.

Such a war, sir, would be one of the most ham-fistedly, pig-headedly stupid things the United States could do at the moment, because if your military advisors were being thoroughly honest with you, they would tell you that this country's military does't have the money; the weaponry; the troop strength; and the manufacturing to insure a military victory over a combined Russian/Chinese contingent against it in Iran.

(Reuters) - Iran has full control of the Gulf and the U.S. Navy does not belong there, the head of the navy of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, General Alireza Tangsiri, was quoted by Tasnim news agency as saying on Monday.

Tehran has suggested it could take military action in the Gulf to block other countries’ oil exports in retaliation for U.S. sanctions intended to halt its sales of crude. Washington maintains a fleet in the Gulf that protects oil shipping routes.

Tangsiri said Iran had full control of the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz that leads into it. Closing the strait would be the most direct way of blocking shipping.

“We can ensure the security of the Persian Gulf and there is no need for the presence of aliens like the U.S. and the countries whose home is not in here,” he said in the quote, which appeared in English translation on Tasnim.

Webmaster's Commentary:

General Tangsiri, a word, please: should Iran do this, the US government will use such an action as the "justification" for war against your country, and retaliate, with full military force, against Iran.

In fact, sir, such an action is something the US government would love to see your country do.

Earlier, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) held large-scale military drills in the Persian Gulf. The IRGC said they were ready to disrupt other countries' oil shipments through the strait if Iran's own exports were impeded.

Iran has full control of the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz, according to Alireza Tangsiri, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard's navy chief.

Iranian officials have earlier threatened to block the Strait of Hormuz, cutting off the main oil shipping route, in retaliation for any hostile actions from the US.

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is hearing Iran’s lawsuit against the US over President Donald Trump’s decision to re-impose sanctions on the Islamic Republic after he withdrew from the landmark 2015 nuclear deal.
According to Tehran, the policy conducted by Washington “is nothing but naked economic aggression”.

“The US is publicly propagating a policy intended to damage as severely as possible Iran’s economy and Iranian national companies, and therefore inevitably Iranian nationals,” Iran’s legal representative, Mohsen Mohebi, the international law adviser to the Iranian president, said at The Hague at the beginning of the four-day session for Tehran’s case on Monday.

“Iran will put up the strongest resistance to the US economic strangulation, by all peaceful means,” he added.

US State Secretary Mike Pompeo described Iran’s filing with the ICJ as “an attempt to interfere with the sovereign rights of the US.”

Webmaster's Commentary:

I see that American hubris regarding Iran, egged on by Israel's Netanyahu, is still riding high; and yes, Secretary of State Pompeo, these proceedings are an absolutely legitimate use of the Court by Iran!!

The pernicious role of neocon think tanks in influencing US foreign policy is no laughing matter.

In fact, the growing influence of these think tanks bespeaks the pushing back of the frontiers of democracy in the land of the free. With their sources of funding often concealed, they exist as the epitome of what President Dwight D. Eisenhower warned against in his chilling 1961 'military industrial complex' speech:

"In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military industrial complex… We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes."

A group of US lawmakers have urged the Treasury to cut off Iran from the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT). Speaking to Radio Sputnik, Christopher Bovis, professor of international business law at the University of Hull in England, has commented on the potential consequences of the proposal.

Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov made waves today, dispelling numerous rumors and laying to waste much ‘speculation’ about Russia’s role in Syria, with regard to Iran and Israel.

After difficult talks today in a meeting between senior Russian and US delegations to discuss Syria, in Geneva, Switzerland, Ryabkov’s statements today mirror those of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, and Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova. Their previous statements reflect Russia’s actual, official policy on Iran and Syria. Today’s statements bring clarity to any number of vague remarks made in months past.

J.P. Morgan and Citibank, two top American financial institutions, will not commit to cutting Iranian access to international markets, which will add fuel to concerns among US officials about efforts by European states and Tehran's regional allies to mitigate the impact of new US sanctions ahead of a November 4 implementation deadline, a report says.

The Washington Free Beacon reported on Friday that the two institutions, which sit on the board of the Society for the Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT), which facilitates international banking transactions, were opposed to disconnecting Iran from the network.

The American conservative political journalism website, however, said the two banks declined Free Beacon inquiries into whether they intended to disconnect Iran from the network and comply with the sanctions.

J.P. Morgan and Citibank, two top American financial institutions, will not commit to cutting Iranian access to international markets, which will add fuel to concerns among US officials about efforts by European states and Tehran's regional allies to mitigate the impact of new US sanctions ahead of a November 4 implementation deadline, a report says.

The long-running US and Russian proxy war in Syria has been largely forgotten of late, but suddenly snapped back into international headlines with John Bolton's warning Assad and Russia this week that Washington will respond with "greater military force" should claims of a Syrian government chemical attack emerge in Idlib.

In response, Russia subsequently warned of a staged "chemical provocation" coming and it appears a war of words is yet again ratcheting up over Syria, which has the very real potential of turning into an actual war.

It fits a familiar pattern on Syria since Russian intervention at the invitation of President Bashar al-Assad in 2015: just when it appears the jihadists are on the brink of final defeat, and as stability is returning after seven years of grinding war, something happens to bring things right back to the brink of global crisis and escalation.

Webmaster's Commentary:

This suggestion, in light of a potential US/Israeli "false flag" chemical attack at Idlib, to be blamed on the Syrians and Russians, demonstrates how quickly such a war could be cranked up to the point of no return.

And unfortunately, with the Manafort verdicts, and the Cohen plea-deal running the corporate news cycle right now, President Trump is dreadfully in need of a distraction, to turn attention away from the vomit-inducing, issue of his having hush money paid to either former flames, or women who wanted their "15 minutes of fame " (or utter contempt) for saying that they had a relationship with him.

What I hope the President understands is, how quickly a tactic like this (a false flag in Idlib) can get completely out of control, to the point of creating a shooting war against Russia.

Perhaps he may think that next week, with Americans generally distracted by the upcoming Labor Day holiday, may be "the perfect moment" to initiate such a false flag, or have the IDF do it.

But I hope (and pray) he understands that the ramifications of such an action may become impossible to stop, once they has been placed into motion; and the outcomes of such a war, may be both horrific.... and irreversible.

The painfully striking differences between the stances of candidate Trump - and then President Trump- are very difficult, and disappointing, to deal with, two years into his presidency.

I have to wonder if the American people will ever get a candidate who will really champion the needs and concerns of People over those of Israel, but am beginning to doubt that this is possible.

illionaire Sheldon Adelson, President Donald Trump’s biggest donor, just secured his role as the GOP’s top 2018 funder with a $25 million contribution to Senate Republicans midterm election efforts. In all likelihood, he also bought himself a direct line to any Republican whose ear he wants to bend.

Adelson is outspoken about his priorities—a hawkish U.S. policy towards Iran and unwavering U.S. support for Israel’s right-wing Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and his Likud Party—and House and Senate Republicans, as well as the Trump White House, have largely delivered on Adelson’s foreign policy wish list.

Adelson, alongside with his wife Miriam, already contributed $30 million to House Republican efforts to maintain a majority, bringing the casino magnate’s direct investment in the GOP’s 2018 House and Senate election efforts to over $55 million.

Politico did the math and found:

Webmaster's Commentary:

Must be nice, owning a President, and their entire administration, as Adelson has purchased, with these contributions!

But are Adelson's/Tel Aviv's goals in Middle East policy, really good for the We the People?!? Let's look at that.

Tel Aviv/Adelson want the Palestinian people destroyed, and are doing everything possible toward that end; Trump has just cut Palestinian funding into non-existent, demonstrating that the US cannot, ever, be considered an honest broker for peace in the Middle East. How good is this for We the People?!?

Tel Aviv/Adelson wants Iran regime-changed, broken up, and destroyed as a power in the Middle East, but wants it done with American blood and American money; how good, please, is that for We the People?!?

Tel Aviv/Adelson want to see Lebanon regime-changed, and Hezbollah destroyed; how good, please, is that for We the People?!?

There are many times that Tel Aviv's/Adelson's goals for Israel are not in sync with those of We the People; an honest, responsible Federal government would understand that, and act accordingly; of course, for decades we have had an irresponsible, corrupt Federal Government, which will go along with every crazy notion its "ownership" demands it do, no matter the costs in American blood and money.

State Department officials announced on Friday that over $200 million in frozen funding to the Palestinians in both the West Bank and Gaza Strip are being cut outright, with the funding to be diverted elsewhere.

Exactly where the $200 million is going isn’t clear, beyond officials saying it would be “spent in accordance with US national interests and provide value to the US taxpayer.” National security adviser John Bolton said the cut was “long overdue.”

This is the second redirection of foreign aid funds to be announced in the past week. Last Friday, the State Department announced $230 million in funding initially earmarked for reconstruction inside Syria had similarly been withdrawn, to be spent on other, unspecified priorities.

Webmaster's Commentary:

The reason for this cutback is painfully clear; Netanyahu and Tel Aviv control the US agenda in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, not to mention the entirety of the US geopolitical agenda in the Middle East.

I, for one, am rather sick and tired of Israel controlling US foreign policy, to the point of ordering our American President and military to attack its alleged "existential threats" in the region, like Iran and Lebanon.

Unfortunately, however, such an attack is very likely this fall, particularly with Iran shortly after President Trump's "drop dead date", imposed by Trump on the rest of the world to stop buying Iranian oil, which happens on Sunday, 4 November; please remember that US mid-term elections happen in Tuesday, 6 November this year.

It is the timing of the impact of this Presidential edict, which, I believe, makes it very possible that we will see the start of such an attack either on the 4th or 5th of November, just ahead of the mid-terms.

There will be no Congressional approval, or debate, before this starts; AIPAC will insure that, with their generous contributions to both sides of the aisle, and we may well see a "blitzkrieg-style" US attack to blockade the Persian Gulf, and insure that Iranian oil cannot get routed through it at all.

After difficult talks today in a meeting between senior Russian and US delegations to discuss Syria, in Geneva, Switzerland, Ryabkov’s statements today mirror those of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, and Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova. Their previous statements reflect Russia’s actual, official policy on Iran and Syria. Today’s statements bring clarity to any number of vague remarks made in months past.
***
Indeed, Ryabkov’s statements today clarifies that Russia respects Iran’s presence in Syria which he described as lawful. What additionally gives credence to the view put forward by FRN, are numerous reports that the US was pressuring Moscow on Tehran’s role in the Arab country. Thus, any less-clear, previous statements made by Moscow that gave credence to the theory they may be involved in ‘balancing’ Israel’s interests against Iran, were an additional part of this generated simulacrum, in which actions on the ground were interpreted different ways, by various actors.

Washington said the EU’s latest Iran development aid package of €18 million is “sending the wrong message” and apparently undermining its efforts to isolate the Islamic republic with unilateral sanctions.

“The European Union’s August 23 announcement of a new $20.7 million payment that will widen economic and sectoral relations between Iran and Europe sends the wrong message at the wrong time,” US State Department Special Representative Brian Hook said.

The US official went on to claim that Tehran will gratefully take the EU money and use it to “conduct assassinations in those very European countries.”

Google claims 39 YouTube channels were connected to Iran and part of a covert Iranian-backed operation to spread propaganda to U.S. viewers and 49 were part of a Russian-backed operation to spread disinfo, PC MAG reported.

According to PC MAG, the propaganda campaign disguised itself by pretending to be several independent media websites, one of which was called the Liberty Front Press.

Further digging shows the cybersecurity firm FireEye investigated the media group and alleges uncovered evidence that it actually originates from Iran...

Welcome back my friends to the show that never ends – and the post-truth geopolitical remix of the supergroup. Meet The Sanctioned; a multinational band starring multi-instrumentalists Vladimir Putin (Russia), Xi Jinping (China), Hassan Rouhani (Iran) and Recep Tayyip Erdogan (Turkey).

As the whole rock universe knows, The Sanctioned run the relentless risk of being outshined – in the form of multi-layered sanctions – by undisputed glitter solo act Donald Trump (US).

The Pentagon announced Wednesday that Lt. Gen. Kenneth McKenzie has been selected to become the next commander of US Central Command, which oversees US troops in the Middle East and Central Asia.

He will also be promoted to General, receiving a fourth star.
McKenzie currently serves in the Pentagon as the Director of the Joint Staff, a high profile position often viewed as a stepping stone to more senior commands.
His selection requires confirmation by Congress.

The European Union allocated 18 million euros ($20.6 million) in aid for Iran on Thursday, including for the country’s private sector in an effort to lessen the impact of US sanctions and encourage Tehran to stay in the 2015 nuclear agreement aimed at curbing its nuclear program, Reuters reported.

The bailout is part of a 50 million euro ($58 million) aid package that Brussels has set aside for Iran in its budget.

Faced with a US threat to punish foreign companies that refuse to join Washington’s sanctions and continue doing business with Iran, the EU has activated the so-called “blocking statute” and has been taking other measures to meet Tehran’s demand for practical guarantees that its economic ties with Europe will not suffer as a result of the US sanctions.

In a statement on Thursday, the EU’s foreign policy commissioner, Federica Mogherini, said that Brussels remained fully committed to mutually —rewarding cooperation with Iran.

Webmaster's Commentary:

So if the EU is going to do this for Iran, what is the US going to do to the EU?!?!?

In what now seems like a weekly occurrence, Iran on Wednesday warned its military wouldn't hesitate to strike American and Israeli targets should it be attacked by the United States after previous words from the US national security advisor warning that "maximum pressure" will be brought to bear against Tehran.

The words were issued during a public speech in Tehran by a senior cleric who works closely with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei named Ahmad Khatami. He told a congregation during Eid prayers in Tehran, "The price of a war with Iran is very high for America."

Khatami said, "They know if they harm this country and this state in the slightest way the United States and its main ally in the region, the Zionist regime (Israel), would be targeted.”

Webmaster's Commentary:

A war with Iran is the absolute last thing this country needs right now.

Russia has blasted claims by US National Security Adviser John Bolton that it's "stuck" in Syria, warning American officials against making such remarks while their own troops are also on the ground in the conflict-ridden Arab country.

"It is not correct for anyone, let alone our counterparts in Washington, to claim that Russia has stuck someplace," Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Wednesday. "Let us not forget that US military personnel is present on Syrian soil, too. This should be born in mind."

President Donald Trump's hawkish national security adviser says the Europeans have to make a choice between the US and Iran in observing American sanctions which he claims have been more effective than expected.

“We expect that Europeans will see, as businesses all over Europe are seeing, that the choice between doing business with Iran or doing business with the United States is very clear to them," National Security Adviser John Bolton said Tuesday.

Trump “wants maximum pressure on Iran, maximum pressure, and that is what is going on,” Bolton told Reuters in Israel.

US administration officials have said newly re-imposed sanctions are meant to change Iran’s policies, including its role in the region, making a point that they are not aimed at toppling the Islamic Republic.

Bolton boasted that the sanctions are “already having a significant effect on Iran's economy,” but admitted that they have not led to any change in the country’s policies.

It appears that Washington and Tel Aviv are going to step up pressure on Iran. According to some reports, the US and Israel have formed a special team to support the protest movement inside the country. Speaking to Sputnik, analysts shared their views on the alleged US-Israeli plan.

Citing unnamed Israeli officials, Axios announced on July 3 that the US and Israel had established a joint team to exert pressure on the Iranian government and encourage protests in the country. The Israeli government and the White House declined to provide comments on the issue to Axios.

Speaking to Sputnik, Israeli political analyst Avigdor Eskin noted that initially "the only source for this information is Channel 10 of Israeli TV," but "then it was checked and picked up by Maariv and few other media resources."

Paying up US sanctions against Iran during his visit to Israel, John Bolton said that the US is fully prepared to use its sanctions to drive Iranian oil exports down to zero to force a “massive change in the regime’s behavior.”

State Department officials have previously said “cut to zero” was a goal, but that appears virtually impossible. China is Iran’s largest oil buyer, and has insisted it will continue to do so. This means at least a third of Iran’s exports before the sanctions were reimposed will continue.

Those nations trying to follow the US demands, and request sanctions waivers, are likely to be disappointed as well. Bolton says the objective “is essentially we’d like to say no waivers to the sanctions.”

So far, that’s been the case. There’s no sign that any of the nations seeking waivers has gotten one, even on vital trade.

The US is prepared to use sanctions to drive Iranian oil exports down to zero, the US national security adviser, John Bolton, has said.

“Regime change in Iran is not American policy, but what we want is massive change in the regime’s behaviour,” Bolton said on a visit to Israel, as he claimed current sanctions had been more effective than predicted.

Donald Trump took the US out of Iran’s nuclear deal with the west in May and is imposing escalating sanctions, both to force Iran to renegotiate the deal and to end Tehran’s perceived interference in Yemen, Syria and Lebanon.

Complete removal of Iranian oil from world markets would cut oil supply by more than 4% probably forcing up prices in the absence of any new supplies.

On August 22, the Russian Defense Ministry released a video providing some additional numbers on the current results of its military operation in Syria. According to the video, the Russian military has destroyed 121,466 terrorist objects and eliminated over 86,000 terrorists, including 830 commanders since the start of its anti-terrorist campaign in the country.

According to the report, 63,012 Russian servicemen, including 434 generals and 25,738 officers have gained combat experience during the conflict in Syria.

US National Security Advisor John Bolton claimed during his visit to Israel that the Russians are “stuck” in Syria and this is why the US has an upper hand in any negotiations in the conflict. Bolton claimed that Moscow is now “looking for others to fund post-war reconstruction” of the country describing this as “an opportunity for Washington to press for Iranian forces to quit”.

After re-imposing sanctions, Trump’s new “Iran Action Group” is the latest step in his destabilization campaign against Tehran. International Crisis Group President Robert Malley, who helped negotiate the Iran nuclear deal under the Obama administration, discusses the White House’s goals and Iran’s response.

The brother of an assistant professor of Islamic Studies at University of Chicago is facing criminal charges from the FBI for allegedly being an Iranian agent.

The Chicago Maroon reports the man, Ahmadreza Mohammadi Doostdar, was arrested August 9 and is believed to have used the UChicago hotel to conduct his activities, which included surveillance of a Jewish center on campus. Another man named Majid Ghorbani was also arrested for allegedly operating on behalf of the Iranian government.

According to a DOJ press release, the pair are suspected of “conducting covert surveillance of Israeli and Jewish facilities in the United States, and collecting identifying information about American citizens and U.S. nationals who are members of the group Mujahedin-e Khalq,” an exiled political-militant organization that advocates for violent regime change in Iran.

Among the accusations against two, according to the release, is that:

Webmaster's Commentary:

Anyone who cannot hear the drumbeats of the further demonisation of Iran must be utterly, geopolitically deaf.

The Iraqi government is worried about US sanctions imposed on Iran, which seem to have a negative impact on the Iraqi economy too.

There is currently political unrest in Iraq, as the protests calling for economic reforms have restarted.

Baghdad declared that it would ask Washington to exempt Tehran from the sanctions because the Iraqi economy depends on the Iranian economy.

Officials at the Iraqi Government and the Central Bank of Iraq have revealed that “a delegation will travel to Washington to seek exemptions from the implementation of sanctions, but did not disclose the date of the visit.”

The officials stated that they are asking each ministry to set up a list of necessary imports for the Iraqi economy, and exemptions requests will cover the goods mentioned.

Iraq has previously declared that it would abide by the US sanctions imposed on Tehran.

Webmaster's Commentary:

I am sincerely hoping that the Iraqi government is not, collectively, holding its breath on their requested exemptions from Iranian sanctions, which I do not believe, will be granted under any circumstances.

- Russia is “stuck” in Syria and looking for others to fund post-war reconstruction there, U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton said, describing this as an opportunity for Washington to press for Iranian forces to quit the country.

Bolton, speaking to Reuters while on a visit to Israel, said U.S. contacts with Russia did not include any understanding over a push by Damascus’s forces against the rebels in Idlib. But he warned against any use of chemical or biological weapons there.
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At a news conference in Jerusalem on Wednesday, Bolton voiced support for Israeli strikes in recent months on sites in Syria where he said Iranian-supplied missiles and other “threatening weapons” had been deployed.

“I think that’s a legitimate act of self-defence on the part of Israel,” he said.

National security adviser John Bolton is bragging about the newly imposed US sanctions against Iran on Wednesday, saying that they are far more effective than even the US expected. He said it had a major impact on the Iranian economy and popular opinion

In particular, Bolton noted the soaring food prices in Iran, and public protests inside Tehran. Whether these are a direct result of the sanctions, only recently put back in place, is unclear. Expectations of US sanctions did indeed send the Iranian rial down in value, but many officials are blaming mismanagement for the worst of the increases.

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(*and if that reverses , because , let's say , Trump were to be impeached , the stock market would crash , so let the humanity crisis over there continue , it doesn't look bad from my house !

The German foreign minister has said it was high time that Europe reassessed its partnership with the United States. He advocated an EU payment system independent of the US in order to save the nuclear deal with Iran.

The collapse of the Trans-Atlantic order that emerged out of the US’s occupation of Western Europe following WWII, is yet again yielding very predictable, and rapidly occurring, results.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said that the European Union needs to create an independent analogue of the American system for transferring information on SWIFT payments in order to protect its companies from US sanctions against Iran.